The Egg Zeppelin Saga
by cosmictruffle
Summary: After many months of uninterrupted peace, Sonic believes that the notorious Dr. Robotnik has given up for good. Much to his chagrin, however, he finds out this is not the case, and sets out, along with his ally, Knuckles, to stop the evil doctor once again. Along the way, Sonic will meet old and new friends and face difficult challenges, on the blue blur's greatest adventure yet!
1. Peace doesn't last for long

**This story focuses on the Classic Era of Sonic the Hedgehog. It is meant to be a tribute to the series I love, with special focus on friendship and character interaction.**

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**CHAPTER ONE**

**Peace doesn't last for long**

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The world was quiet.

A blue hedgehog was lazing the afternoon away, in a grassy meadow along the outskirts of Westside Island. Known as "The Island of Illusion" to some, this was the place where he met his closest friend - a two-tailed fox nicknamed (appropriately) "Tails" - and spent much time adventuring; travelling through curious caverns, sparkling lakes and even into outer space.

This blue creature was none other than the world-renowned Sonic the Hedgehog. Known to all for his impossible, supersonic speed, love of freedom, and itch for adventure, Sonic was admired by many. His quick feet and carefree attitude had taken him to many lands, and he never seemed to settle down in one place for too long; an aching wanderlust and his remarkable speed prevented it. His attire consisted of white gloves and his trademark red sneakers, complete with a white strap and gold buckle to keep the footwear securely in place.

The aromatic grass swayed gently in the breeze. The sky was purest blue. White, fluffy clouds made their commute along the horizon, and a small wooden sign nearby read: "EMERALD HILL ZONE".

Sonic sighed contentedly as he lay in the meadow, his body getting ready for a long nap. It had been months since his last big outing, where he had travelled with his twin-tailed sidekick to the floating landmass, Angel Island. When he got there, Sonic found trouble, as usual. The nefarious Dr. Robotnik had tricked the resident echidna, Knuckles, into believing that Sonic had stolen the Chaos Emeralds (a source of great power), and mayhem ensued. Luckily for Sonic, Robotnik showed his true colours, and the "blue blur" gained a valuable, if gullible ally in Knuckles the Echidna.

Everything was going well since then. Well, except for one small detail. Sonic had noticed that there seemed to be far fewer animals roaming the countryside as of late, but he didn't think much of it. Perhaps they had gone somewhere else.

Just as the hedgehog was dozing off, he felt a slight rumble in the ground beneath him. He opened his eyes, irritated, and was just about to look around when a powerful impact from below sent him flying upward. He toppled to the ground, landing on his rear, and got up quickly, ready to fight, when he noticed a red figure sticking out of a small hole just where he had been lying.

"Knuckles!" exclaimed Sonic, smiling, "Long time no see, amigo! Wish your aim had been a little to the right, though - you nearly broke my back there!" Normally the hedgehog would have been a bit more confrontational, since he and Knuckles had a bit of a rivalry between them, but he hadn't seen the echidna in a while, so he decided to be friendly.

The red echidna perked up, his quills moving along with the gentle breeze.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Knuckles answered with a mildly sheepish grin, "I can't exactly see through the ground, however."

Brushing small traces of dirt from his frame, the hedgehog walked over and offered a hand. The echidna took it, and Sonic pulled him up out of the hole so that they could stand face-to-face. Knuckles was slightly taller than Sonic, with long, vertical quills on his head, a pointed snout, and a white crescent marking on his chest. He wore rugged shoes suited for spelunking and mountain climbing. His knuckles were sharp, like spikes; perfect for punching, his gloves were specially fitted to accommodate this. Knuckles' frame was somewhat more muscular than Sonic's; who, despite running hundreds of miles per day, managed to maintain a slight roundness of figure.

"So!" said Sonic, a hand on his hip, "What's up, Knuckles?"

The red echidna gave a look of discontent, crossing his arms and leaning to the side. "Well, I hate to ruin the good vibes, but..." He hesitated. "I think Dr. Robotnik is up to his old tricks again."

"Now? But he's been off the radar forever - I was under the impression he'd given up..." Sonic replied, his smile fading ever so slightly.

"I thought so too. But, as I was tunneling through South Island yesterday, I dug right into an underground base of his... and the place was filled to the brim with badniks. I barely got out of there unscathed."

"Aw, man, are you serious? I thought that egghead finally got the message when we wrecked his Death Egg!" Sonic's left foot was tapping impatiently, flattening the grass underneath it.

"Apparently not." Knuckles frowned. "Do you wanna check it out?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Sonic grinned. "While I ain't too thrilled about the possibility of Robotnik messin' around again, I have to say - it was gettin' pretty boring around here! So does this tunnel you came out of lead to the base?"

"About that... the location of the base is within an area that's particularly susceptible to cave-ins... I think it would be better if we went there the long way, honestly."

"Fine by me! With my Sonic speed, it won't even make a difference. You ready?" the blue hedgehog beamed.

"Yeah! ...No, wait a second. Where's Tails? He'd probably feel pretty left out if we didn't invite him to smash robots with us."

Sonic shrugged. "I haven't seen him in a while, actually. Last I spoke to him, he said he was gonna get some parts to fix up the Tornado, so he's probably around there somewhere. Let's go find him!"

The pair strode to a grassy field where Sonic usually parked the Tornado when it was not in use. The field, however, was totally empty.

"Huh. I guess he took it for a test drive..." A puzzled Sonic glanced up at the sky, his hand shielding his eyes from the sun. "Wonder where he went?"

"As much as I'd like to look for him, the Island of Illusion-"

"Aww, come on, Knuckles! Only the crazies call it that anymore!" Sonic chuckled.

"Fine. As much as I would like to look for our friend, WESTSIDE ISLAND is huge, and he could be anywhere. He might not even be on the island, if he's using your bi-plane."

Sonic nodded. "Guess my little pal is gonna have to catch up with us later." He paused for a moment, thinking, before continuing. "So, ya wanna head to South Island now, Knuckles?

"Yeah, let's get g-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the blue blur grabbed Knuckles' hand and took off running at lightning speed.

"ooooIIINNNNGGG!"

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**My first fanfic :) This is gonna be pretty long and pretty epic, so stay tuned! The next two chapters or so will be more introductory blabber, but after that, the real fun starts :D**


	2. Rosie the Rascal

**CHAPTER TWO**

**Rosie the Rascal**

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Amy Rose leapt from rock to rock, nonchalantly crossing a bubbling pit of lava as if it were a small pond. Most people knew better than to venture into the Marble Zone, but she had a good reason, or at least one that seemed good to her. The spunky pink hedgehog was looking for her one and only, Sonic. Amy was rather obsessed with him, going so far as to request marriage from him multiple times. Unsurprisingly, her love interest consistently refused.

Her odd fascination with Sonic traced back quite a while. She followed him to the Little Planet, after a tarot reading that said she was destined to meet him there. Little Planet appeared once every year, and when she finally met Sonic, she all but crushed his organs with her hugs. Shortly after, she was kidnapped by a mechanical clone of Sonic created by Dr. Robotnik. Sonic rescued her, and if she wasn't smitten before, that was the point where she went head over heels for him (much to the blue blur's chagrin).

Amy had a curious fashion sense. She was dressed in a green shirt with a white collar, pale blue sneakers, a red hairband, the white gloves that were so popular those days, and a short, frilly orange skirt. She looked elegantly simple, with a tomboyish flair. Her quills were long like Sonic's, with a small quiff of fur sticking out under her hairband.

Landing on another stepping stone, Amy stumbled for a moment and almost lost her balance. Looking down at the superheated liquid below, she breathed a sigh of relief and continued on.

Suddenly she heard a noise behind her. Turning around quickly, the pink hedgehog scanned the area for badniks, but then stopped herself. "It's been totally peaceful for months," she thought, "so I should have nothing to worry about."

A small cave was nearby, and Amy thought she saw a faint glimmer from within. She entered, feeling her way along the rocky walls, and bent down to inspect the glimmer. Picking it up, she squinted to examine it, and realized she had found a Chaos Emerald lying on the ground!

"Wow!" exclaimed the hedgehog, "Sonic will be so impressed when I show him this!" She pocketed it and exited the cave from the other side, coming out on a small patch of land, with nothing but stepping stones between her and the next area of solid ground. She continued on her way, wary of the bubbling lava beneath her.

Hopping from rock to rock, the hedgehog kept her balance, although one of the rocks started to sink into the lava when she stepped on it. Quickly leaping to the next one, she barely avoided boiling herself. Amy eventually reached solid ground and took a breather. She had to admire her surroundings even if they were dangerous. Crumbled green ruins hinted at an elaborate architecture long forgotten. Violet brick roads - once used for who-knows-what - led her onward, tall grass growing between the cracks thanks to years of disuse. The viscous lava sloshed and slurped against the cracked paths, sometimes swallowing the ground whole. Blue clouds dotted the horizon, and a mountain range could be seen off in the distance. Amy didn't have much time to enjoy the view, however, as she was suddenly grabbed from behind by cold, steel hands!

"Hey!" Amy shrieked, struggling to get free. She managed to get an arm loose and pivoted around to see her attacker. It was a robot that appeared oddly similar to Dr. Robotnik! She saw a small logo on its front that said, "EggRobo".

Before the robot could fully restrain her, Amy used her free hand to reach into hammerspace and brought out her main weapon of choice, the Piko-Piko Hammer. With a mighty swing she smashed the robot's "shoulder" with her giant weapon, detaching its arm in a crumpled mess. She was about to finish the job when she heard a loud "ZAP!", followed by a sharp, debilitating pain in her back. Falling to the ground with a thump, she weakly turned her head to see a duplicate EggRobo behind her, its oversized gun pointed at her, still smoking from the last shot.

The pain was unbearable. Amy tried to get back up but she slumped back to the ground, her face buried in the grass. The last thing she saw before her vision faded to black were two more of them approaching her from behind a crumbled structure.

"What have I gotten myself into..."

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**Uh-oh, Amy's in trouble D: Find out what happens... later, because the next chapter focuses on someone else :)**


	3. Let's go to the carnival

**CHAPTER THREE**

**Let's go to the carnival**

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On a beach somewhere on West Side Island, a trio of animals were enjoying themselves.

One, with large headphones covering his ears, was a tall crocodile named Vector. His two friends, Espio the Chameleon and Charmy Bee, were there with him, each enjoying his own version of "fun". While Vector's one true love was his music, Espio was more of a quiet, brooding type. The skinny, purple, horned chameleon simply stared at the crashing waves, contemplating all manner of things. Vector reclined on the soft, warm sand, closing his eyes to focus more on his music.

Meanwhile, Charmy Bee, a tiny bee wearing a helmet and goggles, was buzzing around like crazy; he went from building a sand castle to examining hermit crabs to building a different sand castle, and so on. The helmeted, high-strung bee couldn't seem to keep still for one moment. And then, it hit him. Literally - a stray pamphlet carried by the wind smacked into his tender frame and knocked him to the ground, covering his tiny body like a paper blanket.

"Guys! Guys! Help! I'm under attack!"

Vector and Espio looked over quizzically, wondering where their miniscule friend had gone. Then, noticing the frantic rustling beneath the paper, Vector reached over and grabbed the pamphlet, freeing his friend from his unorthodox prison.

"What's this?" Vector said, unfolding the wrinkled brochure. In bold print on the front it said, and Vector read aloud: "CARNIVAL ISLAND GRAND RE-OPENING! UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT! NOW WITH 100% LESS BADNIKS!"

"That should say 'fewer' badniks," Espio remarked, his eyes back on the ocean.

"Regardless-" began Vector.

"Oooooh can we go can we go can we go!?" exclaimed Charmy Bee, cutting off his crocodilian cohort. He flew around in circles, eager to return to Carnival Island for some excitement.

"Ya know, it does sound like fun. Last time we went there it was a less than spectacular outing..." Vector said, putting his arms behind his head and lying back. He was referring to their last trip to the island, which turned from an innocent getaway to an exercise in adrenaline as they found out the island was taken over by Robotnik and chock full of his mooks. They (the trio, plus another person) were all imprisoned in a strange device called a "Combi Catcher", only to be freed by a mysterious echidna, also there to visit, named Knuckles. The group, who dubbed themselves "The Chaotix", managed to stop Robotnik from terrorizing the island any further, and the trio of crocodile, chameleon and Charmy parted ways with the other two after the job was done.

"Are you thinking straight, Vector?" said Espio. "After what happened last time, it would take a rather trusting fellow to want to go back there again."

"Aw, c'mon Esp, it seems legit this time! Don't ya wanna experience the island like we originally planned? Y'know, the fun part of it? Besides, there hasn't been so much as a murmur of robo-activity anywhere lately, so I think it's safe to say Carnival Island is once again a tourist destination!"

"Yeah, we gotta go! I never got to try any of the rides in the Speed Slider Zone! I HAVE to go on the roller coaster before I die! I have to!" Charmy pleaded.

"I really don't think-" began Espio.

"Esp, why do ya hate fun?" Vector teased.

Espio frowned, not wanting Vector to think of him in a negative light. "Frankly, I'm still suspicious of this. But I can see that it's two against one, and I'd probably get restless if I let you two go alone, so... Count me in, I guess."

"All right!" grinned the crocodilian.

"WOOHOO!" cried Charmy.

"I think I'm going to regret this..." muttered Espio.

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**The Chaotix, what a lovable trio. I'm gonna have lots of fun writing them in the coming chapters :3**


	4. Sonic the Hedgehog Express

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**Sonic the Hedgehog Express/The recluse ventures out**

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Sonic ran to South Island blazingly fast, so fast that he crossed the ocean by foot. With a sore-armed Knuckles in tow, the blue hedgehog skidded to a halt on the shores of the island, sending clumps of sand flying everywhere.

"Thank you for boarding the Sonic Express. We have now reached our destination. Please gather your luggage and have a safe trip!"

Knuckles' expression was not nearly as cheerful as Sonic's; he had to sit down for a moment to stop the world from spinning.

"A little warning would be nice next time," he said.

"Same goes to you when you're diggin' up underneath me," replied Sonic.

"Touché."

Sonic scanned the area. The sky was still bright, littered with a few fluffy clouds. Checkered dirt and tall, emerald grass stood out in the distance. "Looks like we're near good ol' Green Hill Zone, Knuckles. Do you have any idea how we can reach the egghead's underground base from here?"

The echidna pondered for a moment. "By my guessing, judging from the distance I travelled underground and the fact that I started digging around the Marble Zone... I'd say his base was probably somewhere around Gimmick Mountain.

"That far?" Sonic crossed his arms. "Well, it won't be a picnic if we have to go through Gimmick Mountain, but I just have to see this base for myself. Let's hoof it through Green Hill Zone and see how fast we can get there!" Sonic began running in place, a technique he called a peel-out, used to quickly build speed.

"Wait!"

Sonic stopped himself. "What is it, Knuckles?"

"Can we... go at MY pace this time?"

The hedgehog made a mock pouting face. "Fine."

_**Meanwhile...**_

On a small, uncharted landmass, in a lush, verdant forest, the reclusive armadillo Mighty was taking a calming bath in a cool, clear spring. Sinking down into the rippling water, the tenseness in his muscles seemed to disappear.

The red and black armadillo grabbed the shiny gem he had found earlier in the week. The lucid grey gem sparkled in his palm as he considered its form. It was perfectly symmetrical, flawlessly shaped, as if cut by the finest jeweler in the world. He had found it buried in a shallow hole deep in the woods and decided to keep it, not because of greed, but because it felt... important. When he held it in his hand, Mighty felt like some sort of power was surging through his veins, giving him the energy to tackle any task. He wondered about its origins.

His mind began to wander to his earlier adventures. His first meeting with Sonic, where he escaped from Dr. Robotnik's prison. His first meeting with Knuckles, Espio, Charmy and Vector on Carnival Island. All the senseless fighting. Mighty was a stoic pacifist, and avoided fighting at all costs, unless it was to defend those who could not defend themselves. He positively despised violence, which is why he became a hermit - if he stayed away from the mainland he didn't usually have to get involved in any trouble. Even when he went for seemingly harmless trips like the one to Carnival Island, there was always some sort of madness going on. So he kept to himself. He hated it, however. An explorer at heart, he couldn't stand being by himself in one place constantly. "It's a price I must pay if I want to avoid violence," he thought.

Suddenly he was interrupted from his thoughts by a loud noise. Startled, the armadillo looked behind him and saw a hole in the ground next to him, smouldering with a small fire. Looking up, he saw a robot with the word "EggRobo" emblazoned on its surface.

Jumping up out of the water, Mighty leapt into the air, curling up into a ball as he did so. He uncurled just before hitting the robot and extended his leg to deliver a smashing kick to its head, causing it to fall apart instantly. "Not of a very study construction," Mighty pondered, getting down on his knees to examine the broken robot.

After the disturbance, any hope for relaxation was shot. What was that robot doing here? It had been peaceful for so long, but could it be that Dr. Robotnik was at it again? Mighty shook his head in disappointment. Normally he would just stay here and let Sonic the Hedgehog, an old friend of his, deal with the problem. But now that a robot had discovered his location, what was to say more couldn't come after it? He was unsettled at the thought of his personal hideaway being destroyed like so many other places Robotnik had visited.

After a moment's consideration, Mighty got up and decided to head to South Island, grabbing the gem before he left. If he knew Sonic, the blue hedgehog would be there... and wherever he was, Robotnik wasn't far behind.

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**Not much to say about this chapter, other than yay Mighty :D He's gonna be an interesting one to write, due to the lack of information about his character other than the words "pacifist" and "explorer" in the back of some 90s game manuals :p**


	5. Chaotix' chaotic carnival conundrum

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**Chaotix' chaotic carnival conundrum**

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"WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Charmy, we aren't even at the island yet."

"Keep it down, I'm tryin' to jam here!"

The Chaotix trio were riding on the complimentary ferry service to Carnival Island. The harbour it was to dock in was actually one of the attractions, called the "Marina Madness" Zone. Espio was leaning on the rails, watching the waves crash against the boat as the sky tinted pink with the beginnings of a sunset. Vector was sitting in a lounge chair, immersed in his music. Charmy Bee was bouncing around the ship like a rubber ball, trying to explore every nook and cranny while simultaneously checking the distance to Carnival Island every few seconds. Not watching where he was flying, the miniscule bee bumped into Vector, knocking off his headphones.

"Charm, quit screwin' around! Geez..." Vector complained, feeling around for his dropped headphones.

"Vectorrrrr! Don't tell me you're not EXCITED!?"

"I am, but I know how to sit still for more than a split second!" The crocodile replaced his headphones and hit rewind on his walkman. There was nothing the crocodile detested more than having a song interrupted.

"The two of you, stop bickering. We're almost there." Espio saw the island grow larger on the horizon. Soon they were docking in the Marina Madness Zone.

The ferry's horn honked.

"YESSSSS!" cried Charmy Bee.

The afternoon sun was setting as the boat docked in the harbour. Carnival Island was open all night, so it didn't matter to the Chaotix what time it was. The three of them were night owls anyway; Espio liked the darkness and quietude, while Vector simply wasn't a morning person. Both of the others had learnt not to wake him unless they wanted whatever was nearby to be thrown at them. Despite liking to stay up late, Espio and Vector usually forced Charmy to go to bed early due to his youth. They planned to allow him freedom over his sleeping habits during the trip, however.

Charmy, Espio and Vector disembarked, paying little mind to the fact that they were the only ones there. Charmy did a backflip in midair, unable to contain his excitement. "The harbour is boring! Let's go see the other attractions!"

Espio shook his head. "I wanted to stay here for a while, it's nice and rela-"

"Just humour 'im for now, Esp," Vector interrupted, "eventually he'll get tired, he'll shaddap, and then we can go wherever ya want." Vector interrupted him.

He wanted to object, but the purple chameleon held his tongue. There was no arguing with Charmy, and besides, Vector had a point. The hyperactive bee had to get tuckered out sometime.

The Chaotix made their way through the harbour, with its glistening waters and creaky boardwalk. It had been a long time since they'd been here but the place seemingly hadn't changed a bit. After a bit of walking, they were finally within the atrium of Carnival Island, where visitors could get to any of the five main attractions. Espio and Vector walked alongside each other, the latter towering over the former. Charmy Bee zipped ahead, bouncing from place to place in an effort to see everything.

"Ah, the Newtrogic High Zone... where it all begins." Vector grinned. Looking around, the green reptilian could see the familiar lights and colours. Newtrogic High Zone was a blinking, flashing, colourful place, and it looked even better due to the approaching nightfall. "I remember it like it was yesterday... so guys, where shall we head first?"

"Speed Slider! Speed Slider! Speeeeeeeeed Sliderrrrrrrrrrr!" Charmy squealed, dazzled by the beautiful spectacle of lights in the atrium.

The crocodile and chameleon exchanged looks.

"Fine, we can check that one out first. Let's go." Vector lead the way to the automatic doors that would take them to the Speed Slider Zone. Pausing for a moment, he reflected, "It sure is quiet here. Wonder if everyone's already on the rides? Hope there aren't any long lineups..." The crocodile could be an extremely impatient fellow at times.

But unbeknownst to the trio, they were not alone. A movement within the shadows made Espio stop for a moment and glance back, but he saw nothing. Suddenly, he was grabbed by the shoulder. Startled and about to enter fighting mode, he turned, only to realize Vector had put his arm around him.

"Oy, yer quite the jumpy one! C'mon Esp, Charmy's waitin'!" The crocodile grinned and dragged Espio along with them to the doorway, which opened with a "WHOOSH!" as they came near it. Charmy was buzzing impatiently as he was too small to trigger the door on his own.

The automatic doors, with a sign above them that read: "SPEED SLIDER ZONE", slowly shut behind the trio of chameleon, bee and crocodile.

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**Espio, why u so jumpy!?**


	6. Friends reunite

**CHAPTER SIX**

**Friends reunite**

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Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna were blazing through South Island on their way to find Robotnik. They were now in the Star Light Zone, a cityscape of perpetual night, lit only by streetlights and the burning stars above. Sonic and Knuckles dashed along the starlit road, their footsteps the only sounds besides a few badniks, which they dispatched with ease. The path diverged ahead, and each runner took a different side, participating in an unspoken race to an unknown finish line. Sonic could of course outrun Knuckles if he wanted to, but where was the fun in that? Instead, he matched Knuckles' speed like he usually did when running with a friend, and instead relied on his co-ordination to keep ahead of his opponent.

Knuckles ran through two side-by-side loops in the road, his speed picking up with each full circle.

Sonic leapt over badniks and bounced off their heads, as if they were trampolines. He soared to new heights every time.

The echidna swerved and zigzagged around roadblocks and obstacles, punching his way through those that were unavoidable.

The hedgehog had to run at nearly his full speed to get past the superpowered fans that threatened to push him back to the starting point.

Eventually, the two roads merged back into one, and the duo were reunited. They didn't stop, however.

Suddenly, they saw an odd figure coming towards them.

"Who's that?" said Knuckles. "It doesn't look like a robot..."

The figure drew closer and the streetlights illuminated his face. The three of them skidded to a halt just before they could collide. Sonic and Knuckles gasped.

"Mighty!" the duo exclaimed simultaneously.

"Wait, YOU know him too?" Sonic said to Knuckles.

"Yes, he does, Sonic. It's a pleasure to see you two once again. I would have never imagined you were both friends! It's a small world, isn't it?" Mighty smiled gracefully, holding out his hand.

"Well met!" Knuckles beamed and grabbed Mighty's hand, shaking it. Sonic did the same, a huge grin stretching his muzzle.

"It's been literally forever since I saw you last! What brings you to little ol' South Island, Mighty my friend?" the blue hedgehog asked.

"Well, you see..."

Mighty explained to them what had happened on his island; how he had run into one of Dr. Robotnik's minions.

"That old egghead, he doesn't know when to give up!" Sonic shook his head. "Well, we were heading to find Robuttnik's base just now, wanna tag along? We can catch up on the way!"

The armadillo smiled that zen smile of his, and nodded.

Knuckles grinned. "The more the merrier! I just wish Tails was here to meet Mighty. I bet they'd make fast friends."

Sonic shrugged. "Ah well. I'm sure that little fox will pop up somewhere - he's never been one to miss out on the action."

The trio ran along the starry highway, chatting up a storm. They discussed adventures old and new, allies met and enemies defeated. Finally, after a long while, they reached the end of the Zone. As they took a short breather, Sonic crossed his arm and thought for a moment.

"Guys..." he paused. "How long exactly has it been since Robotnik's last attack?"

The other two creatures pondered. "Quite a while, that's for sure... but I haven't exactly been keeping track," Knuckles chimed in. "What's on your mind?"

"It's just... at first I thought he'd called it quits for a time and then suddenly decided to get back in business. But now I'm thinking, what if he's been working uninterrupted since the last time we saw him? This underground base could be just the tip of the iceberg."

Mighty nodded knowingly. "If he has really been active all this time, he could have built a dozen secret lairs for all we know. The fact that his minions found their way to my island is a chilling example. If they've spread that far under our noses, who knows what else he could have up his sleeve?"

Knuckles frowned. "It's not like you two to worry like this. Let's just check out what he's up to, maybe smash a few badniks along the way, and whatever he throws at us, we take it in stride! He's never been able to beat us before - why should now be any different?"

"You're right, Knuckles. Don't know what got into me," Sonic replied with a sheepish grin.

"Where to next?" Mighty enquired.

Sonic smiled and began running again. "The Bridge Zone!"

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**Not exactly the most epic of chapters, but yeah :) Knux-Sonic-Mighty chit-chattyness. More action coming up soon, I swear :3**


	7. Speed Slider shenanigans

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

**Speed Slider shenanigans**

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"We're here! We're finally here!" Charmy Bee cried.

Vector growled quietly. "Will ya keep it down? We can hear ya just fine, no need for screamin'!"

Speed Slider Zone was mostly a long, gold track with many twists, turns, and slopes. Purple, shiny pillars and various whimsical decorations were strewn about in an almost random fashion. Multicoloured lights flashed everywhere, and there were various rides to choose from.

"Which ride should we do first? Let's do the ferris wheel, no, the racetrack, no, no, let's go on the roller coaster!"

Espio sighed. "Why did we come here again?"

Charmy's fun and the others' exasperation were interrupted, however, by a clanking sound behind them. Turning around quickly, they saw one of Dr. Robotnik's robots approaching them.

"WHAAAA-?" Vector nearly jumped up in the air. "What's a badnik doin' here?"

"I believe we've been duped," Espio said. "Leave this one to me." Kneeling town, Espio charged his special ability. Twirling his body around at breakneck speed, he formed into a sort of chameleon-tornado. Releasing the charge, he spun toward the robot swiftly and went straight through it, sending pieces flying everywhere. Charmy ducked under Vector's tail, while the crocodilian howled out in pain as a large piece of metal bounced off his head.

"What's the big idea! Tryin' to put me outta commission so ya can get custody of Charmy?"

Espio gasped. "Sorry! I wasn't expecting the shrapnel to hit you!"

"Yeah, yeah," Vector grumbled.

Espio walked over and felt the bump on Vector's head. "Ouch. Does it hurt?"

"Pretty bad, but it's bearable. And I mean that in the strictest definition of the term 'bearable'."

"Espio's a bad friennnnnnd!" Charmy chanted.

"Charmy, quiet. The important thing is-"

"That Vector's okay?" the crocodile said, raising an eyeridge.

"Er, yes, that." Espio looked guilty. "But another important thing is that we've been had. This place is not robot-free. In fact, I'd wager there are more of them waiting for us up ahead."

"So what're we waitin' for? Let's smash 'em!" Vector said, rubbing his noggin before running off ahead, followed by Charmy.

"W-wait!" Espio said, following the pair.

Catching up with his friends at the top of a slope, Espio looked down and saw dozens of robots strewn about the path. "This is not good."

Vector nodded. "I know. By the time yer done with all of 'em, I'll probably be six feet under from all the head injuries!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Charm, whaddya say, should I forgive ol' Esp?"

"I guess... but if it was me I'd guilt him for a week, just like he does with me when I don't eat my vegetables!"

"They're good for you, Charmy," Espio said, exasperated.

"They taste like butts!"

"You can put some butter and salt on them!" Espio replied, growing more irritated.

"Then they taste like salty, buttery butts!"

Espio put his head in his hands. "I can't believe I'm arguing about vegetables in a theme park filled with robots."

Vector patted Espio on the back. "It's all right Esp, we still love ya."

Espio smirked. "I'm glad you came around. Remember that sentence if any more badnik pieces fly your way."

The three ran ahead, smashing badniks as they went. Espio kicked, Vector punched and Charmy shouted through wave after wave of enemies. They noticed a straight line of robots coming toward them.

"Leave them to me," Vector said. Crouching down, he curled up into a spindash, dust trailing behind him. Letting go of the charged energy, he blazed forward at top speed; the spiky, green, crocodilian doughnut plowed easily through the line of badniks. Coming to a stop, he uncurled and beckoned for the others to follow.

Going up an elevator, the trio reached the track above the one they were just on. Looking around, they saw more robots, and dealt with them accordingly. Espio and Vector bounced off of them, going higher and higher with each badnik. "Let's see how long we can stay in the air!" shouted Vector.

And so they made a game of it, each reptile trying to beat the other. They ended up trying to spice it up by doing flips and striking outlandish poses while in midair. In the end, Espio won, as Vector landed just short of the badnik was aiming for, landing with a loud thump on the ground. Espio quickly dealt with the stray using a spinning jump kick.

"I think that might be all of them," the chameleon said, helping his friend up off the ground. "Let's get out of-" he stopped. "Wait, where is Charmy?"

"WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Vector and Espio spun around, only to see Charmy riding on top of a Motobug, a small, wheeled type of badnik who didn't appreciate its new rider. The Motobug was spinning around, trying to get Charmy off of itself.

"Careful there Charm!" Vector yelled.

"It's okay, I got this Vector!" Charmy shouted back. Jumping off of the robot's back, he flew over the edge of the track, hovering over empty space. "Come and get me!" he taunted, sticking out his tongue.

The Motobug revved its engine and wheeled toward Charmy, too enraged to realize it was steering itself off of a 50-foot drop. With a bang, it broke into pieces at the bottom, sparks shooting out of it.

"Nice one!" Vector said, holding out his hand for a high-five as Charmy flew over.

"Let's get out of here now," said Espio.

"But we just got here!" Charmy complained.

"I know, but even if we stayed here, it's not like you could go on any rides - no one's here to operate them." replied the chameleon.

"Oh yeah, you're right... darn it." Charmy said, crestfallen.

"Don't worry Charm, there's still other stuff we can do here, like the maze and the biodome!" Vector pointed out.

"You mean the Amazing Arena and Botanic Base Zones?" Espio interjected. "What if they're full of badniks, too?"

"Then we take 'em out." Vector flashed a toothy grin. "I've got some good robot-wranglin' music on my walkman!"

Espio crossed his arms. "Well, we're already here, so I guess we might as well clear out the rest of Carnival Island. No sense leaving it like this, or someone else might come here and get into trouble."

The Chaotix ran back along the Speed Slider pathway, eventually finding the exit.

* * *

**Hehe, another fun chapter... **


	8. Broken bridges

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**Broken bridges**

* * *

Sonic, Knuckles and Mighty finally made it to the Bridge Zone. Their footsteps pattered on the wooden planks - the only thing between them and the raging rapids below.

"Careful not to fall," said Mighty, "That current looks powerful enough to carry away the strongest of swimmers."

"I hate water almost as much as I hate Robotnik, so you don't need to tell me!" Sonic replied.

The trio made their way along the wooden bridges, of which there were dozens, connecting multiple grassy bluffs. Some of the bridges were not in the best of condition, so they had to tread lightly on some, and leap over the holes in others.

Everything was going well, until Knuckles made a misstep on one of the planks, which looked sturdier than it actually was. With a quick yelp, he fell through.

"Knuckles!"

Sonic and Mighty stopped in their tracks, peering down. They couldn't see him.

"Looking for me?"

With a start, the two turned around and saw the red echidna standing behind them. "You guys must have forgotten about my climbing expertise. I just used my gliding ability to slow my descent and latched onto the rocks."

"Geez, Knuckles, you had us worried for a second there." Sonic wiped his forehead.

Mighty spoke. "We should probably proceed more carefully. Not only are some of the bridges in disrepair, but the splashing water from below is making them slick and slippery."

Sonic and Knuckles nodded in agreement, and they pressed onward, no longer running.

As the three creatures continued, something suddenly jumped into their path. Something purple.

"Wait a minute, is that-" Knuckles began.

Sonic finished for him. "Nack!"

The animal in front of them smirked defiantly. "That's FANG to you, mate!" He held a small hatchet in his hand. "Thought I might run into yeh around these parts!"

Nack, or Fang as he was often called (due to a rather large, protruding tooth), was a greedy, purple weasel. He wore a brown hat, gloves with steel plates, a leather belt and boots. He carried a popgun with him at all times, and was known to be very proficient in its use. Fang was always pursuing get-rich-quick schemes, conning people out of their money, and stealing outright. He had tried to get his hands on the Chaos Emeralds at one point, but Sonic had managed to stop him.

"What are you doing here?" Sonic said, an irritated look spreading across his face.

"As you may recall, Sonic, last time we crossed paths, you prevented me from grabbin' them beee-autiful, glimmerin' Chaos Emeralds. A man's gotta feed himself, you know, and that irked me substantially." Fang twirled the hatchet in his hand.

"Seems like you haven't had any trouble eating, despite everything," remarked Sonic with a grin, pointing at Fang's rather pudgy midsection. Knuckles stifled a laugh behind him.

"Why you-" the weasel's face turned bright red. "As I was sayin', I want them Chaos Emeralds. And this time, I don't intend to have you around muckin' up me plans. So, sayonara!" With blindingly quick movements, Nack severed the ropes holding up the bridge on his end of it.

"Wait- WHOA!"

Sonic was standing right in the middle of the bridge when Fang was speaking. Now, with nothing underneath him, gravity did its work and sent the blue hedgehog plummeting downward.

"Sonic!" cried Knuckles, grabbing and pulling up Mighty, who was on the edge of the bridge when it collapsed. "He can't swim! He'll die!"

"Aaaaaaagghhh!" Sonic yelled at the top of his lungs. Drowning was one of his worst fears, and it was about to be realized. He looked down at the turbulent waters below.

The hedgehog closed his eyes, preparing for the inevitable.

Suddenly, he felt a hand grab his, and stop his falling. "Huh?" He looked up, and gasped at who he saw.

"TAILS!"

The small fox was struggling to carry Sonic's weight, his two tails spinning in a propeller's fashion, which allowed him to fly in the air for as long as he could hold out.

"Hey Sonic, long time no see!" Tails grunted as he lifted the hedgehog back up into the air.

"Great timing big guy, I really owe ya one!"

"It was nothing!"

Fang was the only one of them not smiling. "Why yeh little twerp, ya pipsqueak, yeh twin-tailed freak!" he shouted.

"Freak!? Don't you dare call my pal a freak!" Sonic swung out of Tails' grip and fell down to where Fang was standing. As he landed, the hedgehog pulled back his arm, balled his hand into a fist and punched Fang directly in the face.

"AUGH! ME BLOODY ADORABLE FACE!" the purple weasel stumbled backward and clutched at his snout.

"You'd better learn some manners, NACK, or else there's more where that came from!"

"Yer gonna regret this, Sonic! This ain't over!" Fang turned around and scurried away, his long tail between his legs.

"Wow! Sonic, that was so awesome!" Tails flew over and high-fived him.

"Thanks little bro! Would you mind doing me a favour? Can ya ferry those two over here? That's Mighty, by the way - he's a dude I met ages ago and thought I'd never see again! Make sure to introduce yourself!"

"Sure thing, big bro!" Tails' smile was enormous. After about a minute, the four were all on the same landmass, and they all sat down to rest for a moment.

"So Mighty, how do you know Sonic?" Tails enquired, looking over at the red and black armadillo.

"Oh yeah, I was meaning to ask that too," Knuckles added.

"It was quite a long time ago. Dr. Robotnik captured all of us, and we had to work together to escape and defeat him. It was quite exciting, though I didn't care for the violence." Mighty was a sworn pacifist, and avoided fighting any time he could. Just the thought of a battle was enough to make him feel queasy, as he was so connected to nature that he hated the thought of others being harmed.

"'All of us?' Were there more of you?" Tails tilted his head to the side, listening with the curiosity of a young one.

"Oh, yes, there was one other. I believe his name was Ray. We were separated after it all happened, though, and I haven't seen him since. Have you, Sonic?"

"Nope, can't say I have. I'm sure wherever he is, he's doing fine, though. He was one spunky guy, that old Ray." Sonic grinned happily.

"Indeed he was," agreed Mighty. "And Sonic, you're probably wondering how I know Knuckles. Did he ever tell you about his visit to Carnival Island?"

"Yeah, he mentioned meeting a buncha others while he was there. I take it you were one of them?"

"Indeed."

"So Tails," Sonic suddenly turned to his smaller friend, "What've ya been up to, buddy?"

"Well, I was working on the Tornado like I said, but then I thought, forget planes, what would be REALLY cool is something that could take us even higher!"

"'Even higher'?" Knuckles said.

"Like outer space!" Tails beamed. "I built a spaceship!"

"Are you serious? That's way past cool, Tails!" Sonic patted his friend on the back. Tails was known for his mechanical genius despite his young age, but this was something else. "So you just decided to build a spaceship? Didya name it yet?"

"Yeah! I call it the Supernova!"

"Cool name," Sonic grinned. "Have you tested it to make sure it works and everything?"

Tails' smile faded slightly. "Well, here's the thing, Sonic... it needs Chaos Emeralds to work. B-but I went over the blueprints and the construction millions of times! I'm sure it'll work as long as we can power it!"

"Don't worry, I believe you. Tails never fails, am I right guys?"

The group laughed and agreed, congratulating Tails on his achievement and asking a myriad of questions about it. After a while, they decided they should get up and start moving again. After some stretching, the four friends sped off in the direction Fang had run before.

"Where's our next stop, Sonic?" Tails asked, spinning his tails behind him, a technique he had learned to keep up with his best friend's fast footwork.

"Gimmick Mountain! Robotnik's base is somewhere around that area!" Sonic replied.

"Okay! Anywhere you go, I'll follow!"

"Glad to have you along, pal!"

The sun began to set, painting the sky with a vivid mixture of reds and purples. The four silhouettes sped off into the horizon, leaving the broken bridges and a trail of dust behind them.

* * *

**Yeppers, Fang has a stereotypical Australian accent. I think it suits him. This was a wicked fun chapter to write :3**


	9. Every Rose has its thorns

**CHAPTER NINE**

**Every Rose has its thorns**

* * *

Amy awoke with a searing pain in her back, feeling groggy and weak. She gazed around the area listlessly. Metal everywhere... "So tacky," she thought. Feeling an abrasive itch on her arms, she realized she was tied to a wooden chair. "Wh... where am I...?"

"I'm glad you asked!" said a voice somewhere in the room. Amy hadn't realized she was thinking aloud. Suddenly she felt a presence behind her back. Straining to turn around, she could barely make out the figure in her blurry, peripheral vision.

"Dr. Robotnik?"

"The one and only!"

The fat, egg-shaped man danced into her field of vision, his gaudy clothing and impossibly long moustache a sight to behold. Standing in front of Amy with a triumphant grin on his mustachioed face, he said, "Since I'm in such a good mood today, I shall answer your question! Little pink hedgehog, you've been taken by my EggRobo servants and brought to my secret lair underneath Mount Gimmick! I'm sure you're wondering how I constructed such a glorious abode after being defeated once again by that wretched Sonic the Hedgehog. The truth is, it's made entirely of parts from my previous base in this area, the Scrambled Egg Zone! Everything is entirely refurbished and beautiful! It's my most lovely-"

"Will you SHUT UP!?" interrupted Amy in a shrill scream. "My back is killing me and these ropes are itchy and I am NOT in the mood to listen to your stupid stories that no one cares about! And my darling Sonic will be coming to rescue me any moment now, so you'd better give up and let me go right NOW!"

"My, my, what a recalcitrant little girl you are," said Robotnik, mildly irritated by her outburst. "You would do well to stay on my good side, for I can make your roboticization more painful if you don't co-operate... and I wouldn't bet on Sonic coming to save you - he doesn't even know about this place!" Robotnik laughed and turned around to leave the room. Without looking back, he added, "Enjoy your last moments of non-mechanical life, you little brat! Muahahahah!"

Amy hung her head in desperation. "Sonic, where are you?" she thought, moping for a while. Then, she lifted her head back up. "No. I got myself into this, I can get myself out. Sonic will never be impressed by a pathetic little girl who always gets herself captured. He's already saved me once, and that will be the last time... but how do I get out of this mess?" The pink hedgehog thought for a while, and couldn't come up with a solution. She struggled against the ropes, hoping they were loose, but she wasn't so lucky.

Then she remembered the Chaos Emerald.

Fumbling around, Amy realized, much to her relief, that it was still in her possession - it was a miracle Dr. Robotnik hadn't noticed it. "He probably thought I was too harmless to be worth searching... seeing as I haven't proven otherwise," Amy reflected. Fingering the flawless gem in her hand, she confirmed that the bottom point of it was sharp. Very sharp. Being extremely careful not to drop it, Amy slid the pointed end of the emerald against the ropes, moving up and down, cutting into the rope with ease. In only a few seconds, she had released herself from her bonds. Gingerly rubbing her constricted arms, she scratched furiously until the itching went away. Glancing around, the hedgehog quietly made her way out of the room, through the same exit Robotnik had used.

She walked through a dilapidated hallway, dimly lit with red lightbulbs on the ceiling. "This place gives me the creeps," Amy thought, "I'd better get out of here quick." Peering around a corner, she saw Dr. Robotnik typing excitedly into a computer terminal, occasionally glancing up at a giant screen on the wall which had a map of the world displayed. "What a creep," thought the pink hedgehog in disgust. "He's gonna pay for this..."

Amy quietly reached behind her and pulled out her Piko-Piko Hammer, holding it in both hands as she slowly approached Dr. Robotnik from behind, checking first to make sure there weren't any robots in the room with him. She crept closer, making sure to walk as quietly as possible, and then...

"TAKE THIS!"

The pink hedgehog whacked Dr. Robotnik on the back of his head with as much force as she could muster, screaming "THIS IS PAYBACK FOR KIDNAPPING ME, YOU CREEPY OLD MAN!"

Robotnik shouted in pain, and fell down face-first against the terminal. "You wretched little brat... you're not going to get out of here alive..." He slammed his hand down on a large red button on the keyboard, and a cacophony of alarms went off throughout the base's entirety, before he fell to the floor in a heap, clutching his swollen head. "You will pay dearly for this..."

"That's my cue to get outta here!" Amy said, rushing out of the room as fast as her two feet could take her.

Running down the hallway, she came out in the room where she had been tied up before, only to be ambushed by three robots. Amy panicked for a split second. "Get out of my way!" she cried, smashing one with her hammer. It exploded in a flurry of shrapnel, and she ran between the other two before they could get their metallic hands on her.

Amy was scared. She slightly regretted alerting Robotnik to her escape in such a manner, as now the entire facility was on the lookout for her. She tried to calm herself down. "You can do this. Just get out as fast as you can," she thought.

Amy dashed out of another exit and came out in another long, winding hall. Coming to a fork, she took the path on her right. Red lights were flashing and alarm systems were blaring, notifying any robot within a large radius that an escapee needed to be captured. Pipes jutted out of the walls, which Amy broke with her giant hammer while running, and various boxes littered the floors, most of which she destroyed as well. "As long as I'm here, I may as well trash the place, so that creepy fatso has a harder time with whatever he's planning! That'll teach the old fart to mess with me!"

The hedgehog swung her hammer in no particular direction, letting her anger guide it. Amy broke everything she could. Walls, buttons, pillars, computer systems, robots - nothing was safe. Within two minutes sparks were flying everywhere, steam was shooting from broken pipes and multiple small fires had been started from explosions. "Robotnik is gonna be furious when he wakes up..." thought Amy, a smug smile on her face. To her, it felt like she was picking daisies in an open field.

Coming to the end of the hallway, a two interlocking metal doors blocked her path forward. Noticing a button on the side, she pressed it, hoping they would open.

No such luck.

"Rats," Amy thought.

Behind her, two more robots approached.

"Uh-oh." The pink hedgehog froze.

The badniks stepped closer.

"Guess I have some more fighting to do..."

With two well-aimed swings, she decimated the mooks with her Piko-Piko Hammer.

"Ugly architecture, ugly robots... A little wallpaper and some kittens could really liven this place up!" Amy looked back at the door. "How am I gonna get through here..."

It was then that she noticed what appeared to be a scanner above the button. Analyzing it, she read the words "Eye Scan Required For Entry During Lock-Down" etched onto it.

Thinking for a moment, she wondered if what she was about to attempt would even work...

Amy grabbed what was left of one of the robots and dragged it over to the scanner. She positioned it so that its "eyes" would be scanned. "Do robot eyes even count as real eyes?" Amy wondered.

Luckily for her, the doors slid open with a loud "Whoosh", and she rushed into the next room, thankful that the mooks who attacked her had sufficient security clearance to enter the room. The hedgehog quickly ran in, the door closing behind her.

She stopped in her tracks, and gasped at what she saw.

Dozens of metallic replicas of Sonic, each contained within some sort of futuristic-looking tube, and each looking exactly like the one that had kidnapped her on the Little Planet so long ago.

"This is bad... this is REALLY bad! One of these things was enough to fight on equal terms with my darling, real Sonic; this many of them would be too much, even for him!" Amy frowned in disbelief. "I've gotta do something about this!"

Amy ran up to a nearby computer terminal, tripping over a can of oil in the process. She noticed wires trailing on the floor from the terminal, all the way to each separate tube. Amy grabbed and severed each wire individually. Then she smashed the tubes. Then she destroyed the terminal. Then, for good measure, she smashed everything else in the room.

Sparks flew everywhere. The room quickly caught fire due to the overturned oilcan.

"Yikes! It's getting hot in here!"

Glancing around, Amy saw her way out - a ladder on the wall leading up to a trapdoor in the ceiling.

The pink hedgehog climbed up, unhooked the latch and pushed the trapdoor up. The dank smell of dirt told her that she was clambering up into a cave. Amy could see the cave entrance a few dozen feet in front of her.

Shutting the trapdoor underneath her, Amy ran toward the light at the end of the cavern. A tremendous shaking knocked her to the ground, coupled with a loud, yet muffled noise. Stalactites and rocks fell down from the roof of the cave, nearly crushing her. "That explosion must have come from that room full of Metal Sonics," Amy thought, picking herself up and dashing out of the cave. She came out in a large, mountainous area, but with a striking trait: everything, including the mountain itself, was made out of metal. "Where am I now?" Amy said to herself.

Looking back behind her as she ran, she watched the cave entrance crumble, sealing off the cavern. "That'll set him back quite a bit, I hope!" thought the pink hedgehog, contemplating the damage she had done to Robotnik's hideout.

Amy noticed a sign along the metal path, and she scanned it as she approached. It read simply: "GIMMICK MT. ZONE".

* * *

**That was a fun chapter to write :) I wanted Amy to be actually valuable, instead of the one-dimensional "OMG SONIC U SO KAWAII" that she is in the games, while still trying to keep her relatively true to her character. She's been kidnapped before, but she's not exactly a damsel in distress - I mean, she has that gigantic hammer and she's quite spunky, so I can imagine such a scene happening in the games if Sega gave more of a damn about her character :B**


	10. The kidnapping

**CHAPTER TEN**

**The kidnapping**

* * *

The Chaotix admired the lush greenery of the Botanic Base Zone as they looked around for badniks to destroy. They were in luck; there were even more there than in the previous area.

"Man, this is gettin' tiring," Vector said, punching through a large group of robots, his green scales almost blending in with the foliage. "Where does Robotnik get all the material for these robots, anyway?"

"Beats me." Espio made short work of a badnik with his Whirl Attack.

Clearing out the area around them, the trio relaxed, and decided to walk the rest of the way instead of running.

Each of them looked around absentmindedly for more robots, lost in their own thoughts. They wondered if all these badniks were a sign of another attack on the world by Dr. Robotnik. They hoped that wasn't the case.

Suddenly, they heard a noise behind them. The trio were nearly ambushed by an EggRobo. Leaping out of the way of its beams, Vector bent down, Espio running up behind him. The chameleon hopped onto Vector's back.

"Alley-oop!" Vector grinned, raising his body up to its full height, while Espio ran up his back like a slope. The chameleon leapt off Vector into the air, doing a flip before coming down on the badnik with extra force. He kicked into it, bounced off, and sent it flying. The EggRobo exploded, leaving scorched grass in its place. The two reptiles gave each other a high-five.

"That was awesome!" Charmy squealed.

"Huh?" Vector looked at the spot where the robot had been. He noticed something small and gleaming.

Espio followed his gaze. "It had a Chaos Emerald!" The chameleon grabbed it and put the gem away.

"Looks like today's our lucky day!" Charmy exclaimed.

"I think we're done here," Vector said. "Let's check out the maze and then we'll blow this joint."

Espio and Charmy nodded, and the three of them left the biodome behind them.

* * *

"Amazing Arena..." Vector said. "I always hated this attraction."

"It is rather annoying to go through," Espio agreed.

The trio navigated through the harshly-lit maze, destroying badniks along the way. The labyrinth was flashy and featured nearly every colour of the rainbow. Despite the visual uniqueness, it was quite easy to wander around the area for hours and still find no exit.

"I think we're lost..." Charmy said.

Vector scoffed. "Nah, I can find our way out. I think it's this-"

The lights went out.

"...way..."

"I can't see a thing," Espio remarked.

"How are we gonna get out now?" Charmy's voice contained a hint of fear.

"Shh!" Espio was suddenly alert. "I hear a noise!" The purple chameleon turned invisible as a precaution.

A faint buzzing was apparent, and it was getting louder. "It's coming toward us!" Espio whispered.

Suddenly they heard a metallic clamp.

"HEY!" Vector shouted.

"Vector!?" Espio and Charmy exclaimed simultaneously.

"OW! LEMME GO! AUGH!"

Charmy and Espio attempted to find Vector, feeling their way along the walls in the pitch darkness. They heard his yelling, but it was getting quieter, as if he were being dragged away.

The lights came back on.

"Vector!" Espio shouted.

No answer.

"He's... gone!" Espio gasped.

"Look!" Charmy exclaimed.

They saw the crocodile's headphones and music player lying on the ground, not far from where they were standing. The pair heard one last cry from the crocodile, off in the distance.

"Grah!" Espio shouted angrily, stooping down to pick up his friend's belongings. "Come on, Charmy! We've got to save Vector!"

* * *

**Sorry for the relatively short chapter. The next few should be longer, with a few exceptions.**


	11. In which Sonic regretfully meets someone

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**In which Sonic meets someone he'd rather not**

* * *

"Amy!" Sonic's expression was a mixture of nervousness and annoyance. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"Is that any way to greet a lady?" Amy scoffed and crossed her arms.

"Since when are you a 'lady'?" Sonic smirked.

"Hmmph." Amy pouted.

The group had run into the pink hedgehog shortly after arriving at Mt. Gimmick Zone. The area was treacherous, full of traps of all kinds - spikes, conveyor belts, and as usual, badniks.

"Seriously, though, what are you doing here, Amy?" Tails said.

"Robotnik's goons kidnapped me, and he was about to roboticize me, but I escaped, thanks to this!" The pink hedgehog showed the group her gem.

"That's a Chaos Emerald!" Tails exclaimed.

"Figures you'd get kidnapped again." Sonic rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," Amy continued, irritated, "I managed to get away, and I destroyed a lot of his junk while I was there!"

"YOU trashed Robotnik's base?" Knuckles asked in disbelief.

Amy pulled out her Piko-Piko Hammer. "Do I need to show you how I did it?"

Knuckles put his hands in front of him. "No, no! I believe you!"

"Thought so! Also, Sonic, you owe me one!"

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"You'll see. I assume you guys were headed here to check out the place?"

"Yeah, we were, actually." Knuckles replied.

"It's right over here." Amy beckoned as she walked away.

The group followed her to the crumbled cave entrance. "I got out through there right before it collapsed," Amy said.

"Looks like a close call," Mighty remarked.

Amy turned around. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't even introduce myself!" The hedgehog curtsied. "I'm Amy Rose, and you are?"

"Mighty the Armadillo." He stepped closer and offered his hand.

"Nice to meet you!" Amy took his hand and shook it.

Sonic crept up beside Mighty. "You'd better watch out, she's a wild one."

"Hey!" Amy gave Sonic a dirty look. "That's no way to speak about your future wife!"

"Not this again..." Sonic tapped his foot.

Mighty looked at Tails and Knuckles, who merely shrugged.

"Amy, how far into that cave was the entrance?" Knuckles asked.

"Not very. Why?"

"Because I'm gonna dig a tunnel in, and we'll have to move through quickly in case it collapses again." Knuckles cracked his namesakes and got to work.

Soon, the group heard his voice echo out of the hole. "Found a trapdoor!"

They followed Knuckles' small tunnel, ducking their heads.

"How much far-" Sonic began, but was interrupted as he stepped into open air and fell. "Aah!"

He landed on his stomach at the bottom of the ladder, while Tails, Amy and Mighty climbed down from above him.

"I found the trapdoor..." Sonic grunted, getting up and brushing himself off. When he looked up, he gasped. Sonic saw the numerous destroyed Metal Sonics lying all over the room.

"Amy... what is all this?" Sonic's eyes widened.

"I'll tell you what it is. There were tons of copies of Metal Sonic in those broken tubes, sitting in stasis. I destroyed them all, just for you."

"Dr. Robotnik must have built all of them in the hopes of overwhelming Sonic!" Tails exclaimed.

"Amy..." Sonic was taken aback. "I think I can honestly say that you saved my life, without me even knowing it."

"It was my pleasure!" Amy giggled, enjoying Sonic's approval for once.

"I can't believe this. Just imagine what it would be like if Robotnik let all of them loose on you at once," Knuckles said.

Sonic shuddered at the mental image. "Let's just find that egghead."

The group made their way through the base, with Amy in the lead. The others gawked at the damage she had caused, almost unable to believe that such an innocent-looking person could have done so. Eventually, they found the room where Amy had been tied up.

"I was tied to that chair. It was awful," the pink hedgehog explained.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Amy." Mighty put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"How did you escape again?" Tails asked.

"I used the Chaos Emerald I found to cut the ropes," she answered.

"Good thinking. But why didn't Robotnik search you and find the emerald?" Knuckles enquired.

"The only time he'd ever seen me was when Metal Sonic kidnapped me on Little Planet," she replied. "He probably figured I wasn't enough of a threat to be worth searching."

"That was a big mistake for him," Sonic remarked, genuinely impressed with Amy's exploits.

"Hehe! Anyway, right through that hallway was where I last saw him," said the pink hedgehog.

"No wonder they call her 'Rosie the Rascal'," Knuckles whispered to Tails. The fox giggled quietly.

They followed her into the room, but there was nobody there.

"Maybe he's farther in here somewhere," Tails offered. "Let's keep looking." They noticed a door at the other side of the room and went through it. It led to another hall. The corridor seemed to trail along forever. When they got out, they were blinded by sparkling light.

"Where are we?" Mighty asked.

"The Crystal Egg Zone... but it's underground!" Sonic said in astonishment.

"Robotnik mentioned that he rebuilt this base from existing materials, from the last base he had around here." Amy looked around at the glittering walls, which would have looked brilliant if they weren't built for such a sinister purpose.

"No sign of him here, either," Knuckles observed.

"Guess we'll just have to keep going!" Sonic lead the way.

* * *

**Originally I had planned to have Sonic and co. visit Meta Junglira Zone before this, but I realized it was mostly a filler chapter so I scrapped the idea.**


	12. The chase

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

**The chase**

* * *

Finally getting out of the Amazing Arena, Espio and Charmy made haste in search of Vector. They saw the robot in the distance, flying away from Carnival Island, with Vector's struggling figure in tow.

"It's heading to Westside Island!" Espio exclaimed.

"We'd better get a boat!" Charmy said.

The pair ran as fast as they could to the Marina Madness Zone and took the first boat they could find. They weren't sure who owned it, but they intended to bring it back. Eventually.

"How do you operate this thing?" Espio wondered.

"Let's find out!" Charmy began messing with the various levers.

"Charmy-"

The boat started up.

"...good work."

Espio managed to clumsily steer the boat out of the harbour, and they were on their way.

Sailing toward Westside Island, Espio and Charmy spent the fitful ride worrying about their crocodilian companion.

"What do you think Robotnik's gonna do with him?" Charmy wondered fearfully.

"Nothing, because we're going to get to him before that creep does," replied Espio, unsure about the honesty of his words. Of the two, Espio was the more worried, as he was older and more knowledgeable about the dangers of the world. He was closer to Vector, as well; the pair shared a common bond due to their reptilian natures.

They each waited desperately for the boat to get to land. The sea was relatively empty, so Espio didn't have to spend too much time steering. The chameleon needed something to distract himself from the worrying. Getting an idea, he grabbed Vector's music player and strapped the belt around his waist, putting the headphones on. He pressed play.

"Hmm... not bad," he thought, enjoying Vector's taste in music.

"You look silly with those. Vector's the only one who can pull that look off," Charmy said, giggling.

"Quiet, you." Espio scowled. Looking at his reflection in the boat's window, he realized the bee was right. "These look much better on Vector," he thought. The chameleon got a knot in his stomach, realizing how much he missed his friend. Espio hoped they could get to him in time.

He still kept the headphones on, though. At least, that way he could almost pretend that their best friend was still with them, and not in the clutches of a robot.

Espio thought about their little group. Despite parting ways with Knuckles and Mighty after their misadventures on Carnival Island, the remainder of the group stayed as close as peas in a pod. Wherever one went, the rest followed. The chameleon tried to remember a day when the three of them weren't together, and came up blank. They got along quite well, despite their differences; their personalities seemed to balance out. Charmy was the easily excitable one, always full of energy and love for life; Vector was laid-back, but somewhat loud and impossible to ignore; Espio was quiet, reserved and calm, but less so around those two.

Each one of them had some quality that influenced the others.

Vector gave Espio an equal to talk to, bringing out his chattiness, and toned him down when the chameleon was being uptight, either by convincing him to change his mind, or goading the chameleon until he got angry. He made the bee behave during times when Charmy was too boisterous, and was by far the more playful of the reptiles, entertaining Charmy like a brother.

Charmy brought out the chameleon's playful side, in rare moments. He would even, precociously, remind Espio of his manners, on the occasions when the chameleon was being hotheaded. The bee got Vector excited when the crocodile felt lazy, something the quiet Espio could never manage to accomplish.

Espio kept Vector from being too obnoxious, and Charmy from being too excitable. He brought out the calm side of his companions. Or at least, he tried to. He was generally the voice of reason within the group, in contrast to Vector and Charmy, who were rather spontaneous.

He thought back to their first meeting, and the circumstances surrounding it.

When Carnival Island rose out of the ocean, Vector heard a rumour that it was an act of God. The crocodilian wasn't a spiritual reptile, but decided to have a look. After the way things turned out, he certainly didn't leave the island with belief in a deity.

Charmy had come to Carnival Island to look for new and interesting varieties of flowers. A sensible reason, for a bee.

Espio was working as a private detective at the time, a career he'd long since quit. When the island rose, he went to investigate. He suspected it might have something to do with the Master Emerald, an ancient gem, in which the chameleon had been very interested.

Charmy had seemed so excited to meet a new friend, and so had Vector, although the reptile was considerably less crazy about it. The crocodile was also friendlier, unlike Charmy, who asked relentless questions, never realizing if he had offended someone. Vector actually let Espio talk as much as he did, unlike the bee.

As a team, the trio fit together well. Any fights that started were quickly resolved, because they could never stay mad at each other for long. It was an enjoyable arrangement, and they never got sick of one another's company. Being different from each other kept things interesting, while shared values and interests kept the group glued together.

It wasn't quite like that on Carnival Island, though. With Knuckles and Mighty around as well, agreements could rarely be reached.

Knuckles bothered the others because he tried to act like the leader, when no one wanted to be led. Espio was also a bit envious of the echidna, due to his relationship with the Master Emerald.

Mighty's disdain for violence got on Vector's nerves, as the crocodile wanted to breeze through attractions and make a game of smashing badniks, while Mighty would try to take the path of least resistance; likewise, Vector's robot-smashing tendencies made Mighty cringe.

Charmy could annoy just about anyone at times.

Espio kept quiet, so no one really got irritated with him, although Knuckles did seem to hate when the chameleon asked questions about the Master Emerald.

And none of them liked Heavy or Bomb, two robots who had claimed to be sick of being Dr. Robotnik's mechanics. The group didn't trust them; for all they knew, the robots could have been still secretly working for the evil genius. They mysteriously disappeared before the party left the island, making them even more unsure of the mechanics' intentions.

Due to the way the group had clashed, their teamwork was chaotic at best. This led them to dub themselves "The Chaotix". Vector, Espio and Charmy kept the name after parting ways with the others, a permanent reminder of their stay on Carnival Island.

Espio sighed, turning up the music's volume to drown out his thoughts. He wished Vector were there to cheer him up. But then again, if Vector had been there, he wouldn't have a need to be cheered up in the first place. Charmy just asked questions and made him worry, so he was no help. The chameleon stared out at the island in the distance, willing it to move closer.

Finally, after what felt like ages, they hit land. Literally - Espio crashed the boat into some rocks along the shoreline. Leaping down from the bow, he analyzed the damage done. A gaping hole in the bottom that was slowly filling with water; this vessel was damaged beyond repair, unless they could find someone with the knowledge and skill necessary to fix it.

"Oops," Espio thought. "The owner is going to be fuming mad."

"This never happened," he warned Charmy, turning to face his friend.

"What never happened?" Charmy grinned knowingly.

They raced across the island, finding traces of Vector's presence occasionally, which helped them follow the trail; a broken piece of robot here, claw marks in a tree there. Vector was obviously putting up a fight, but from the amount of shrapnel about, Espio deducted that multiple robots were now assisting in the kidnapping.

Espio and Charmy blazed through Emerald Hill, avoiding Buzzers and Choppers; they took an unwanted dip in Chemical Plant, cringing when they entered the discoloured liquid; the pair floundered through Aquatic Ruin, gasping for oxygen from pockets of air bubbles that emerged from the lakebed.

Some of the bushes in the ruins seemed to be rustling. Espio stopped running for a moment, looking around. He'd sensed movement for a while now, but couldn't find its source.

"Charmy, I get the feeling that we're being followed..." The chameleon narrowed his eyes.

Charmy glanced about. "I don't see anyone."

Espio sighed. "I'd like to investigate, but Vector is in danger. Let's just hope we aren't ambushed."

The pair continued on their way, unable to stay and look around.

When they hit Dust Hill Zone, Espio remarked how warm it felt, his reptilian body gaining energy the longer they stayed under the sun. However, due to strange weather anomalies, part of the Zone was covered in a perpetual snowfall. Espio hugged himself as he ran, now suffering from the flip side of being cold-blooded.

The duo managed to scramble through every Zone relatively quickly. Panic and adrenaline drove them forward; they couldn't let their friend fall into Robotnik's clutches. They wondered at each turn how much farther they would have to go to find their crocodilian friend.

As Charmy and Espio came upon a vast ocean of oil, the very sight of it making them uncomfortable, they knew that Robotnik had to be nearby. Who else would inhabit such a foul place? Taking care not to fall into the murky liquid, they ran as fast as they could, hearing Vector's cries get louder. They were getting close.

The chameleon already had an intense hatred for Dr. Robotnik, moreso than the rest of his companions. Kidnapping his best friend just made things worse. Espio gritted his teeth, ready to give Robotnik the beating of a lifetime when he saw him. "Hang in there, Vector - we're on our way!"

* * *

**There wasn't really much action in this chapter, so I went for some internal thoughts from Espio instead. Also added in some foreshadowing for a later chapter... after the later chapter was posted :p**


	13. Hedgehog havoc

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

**Hedgehog havoc**

* * *

The team of five headed through Crystal Egg Zone, an eerie, brightly lit area of Robotnik's base, obviously rebuilt like the Scrambled Egg Zone had been. Cacti and odd, colourful plants grew inexplicably out of the crystalline floors, and some of the walls had Robotnik's face carved into them.

"This place gives me the creeps," Amy said, shuddering.

"Yeah..." Tails agreed.

Their voices echoed throughout the base, unsettling the team even more. They pressed onward hastily, wanting to get out of this frighteningly beautiful place as soon as possible.

"I SEE YOU'VE FINALLY MADE IT HERE," a shrill, electronic voice said. The group looked around, trying to find the source of the words. Knuckles saw a reflection in the walls, and located its owner. Tails followed the echidna's gaze, and gasped.

"Over there!" Knuckles exclaimed. "It's..."

"Metal Sonic!" Tails shouted, sounding fearful. The fox looked up to Sonic and idolized him, so an evil being that was everything the hedgehog could be frightened him immensely.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my biggest fan!" Sonic said, wagging his finger. "Hello, Metal!"

"PUNY HEDGEHOG. DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE YOU CAN STOP MY MASTER'S PLANS?"

"Nah, I don't believe I can- I KNOW I can! And if you're gonna get in the way, I'll kick your butt too!"

"YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME, INFERIOR HEDGEHOG?"

"Who are you callin' inferior? I did it before, didn't I?" Sonic said, a cocky smile on his muzzle. "Cut the chatter! Let's get this over with, Metal!"

"VERY WELL, LET THE FIGHT BEGIN!"

The two were blurs before the others' eyes, leaping and attacking each other so quickly it was nearly impossible to tell which blue blur was Sonic and which was his robotic counterpart.

"Go Sonic! You can do it!" Amy shouted.

"Gah, if they weren't so fast, we could help them!" Knuckles complained, as the two fighters whizzed past.

Suddenly, both of them stopped, landing on the ground a few feet apart. They were locked in a death stare.

Sonic panted. "You're fun to play with, Metal. It's hard to find a worthy adversary who can match my speed!"

"Hey! I was a worthy adversary!" Knuckles scowled.

"Sure you were, Knuckles!" Sonic taunted.

Metal Sonic didn't say anything. Instead, without any warning, he sped toward the other four in a flash. They all jumped out of the way except for Tails, who was frozen to the spot.

"Tails!" Everyone shouted at once.

Metal Sonic grabbed the twin-tailed fox and zoomed out of the area, toward the exit.

"Sonic! Help!" Tails cried.

"RACE ME IF YOU WANT TO GET YOUR FRIEND BACK, HEDGEHOG!" The robot glided out of view.

Sonic revved up a Super Peel-Out. "That dirty little cheater... he knew he was losing so he pulled this! I'll show him! Wait for me, little bro!" In a flash, he was gone.

"We must follow them!" Mighty yelled to his companions, sprinting ahead.

Knuckles and Amy nodded. They started running, not far behind the armadillo.

* * *

Sonic dashed out of the Crystal Egg Zone at full speed. Wind buffeted his face, the night sky above him.

"Hey, I recognize this place," Sonic thought. "It's Gigalopolis Zone!"

The black sky was littered with stars, grey clouds dotting it randomly. Sonic could see city lights shining in the distance, while bright searchlights shone into the sky, creating an odd dissonance.

He could see Metal Sonic off in the distance. He sped forward as quickly as he could, accelerating with each step. He was gaining ground on the robot, but it was still considerably far away from him.

"Gotta... go... faster..." Sonic grunted, his legs going almost as fast as they could take him. His body was straining to move even more quickly.

"Just... a little... more..."

A deafening boom echoed into the night.

Sonic had broken the sound barrier.

"YEEEAHHH!" The hedgehog grinned, gaining quickly on his nemesis. He could hear Tails' cries for help as he got closer, a huge trail of dust behind him.

"Hang in there, buddy! I'm coming!" Sonic shouted.

The blue streak sped along the road, leaping over obstacles and plowing through badniks.

"Time for a shortcut!" Sonic said to himself. He leapt into one of the myriad of tubes jutting out of the walls. Curling into ball form, he rolled through the particularly long tube at top speed, coming out of it at the other end, now much closer to Metal Sonic and Tails.

Metal Sonic turned his head and saw his enemy behind him. The robot fired large, fast-moving spheres of energy at Sonic.

The blue hedgehog leapt over and dodged every one, except for the last, which hit him unexpectedly, sending Sonic flying backward. He landed flat on his face, skidding painfully against the ground before coming to a stop.

"Ugh... ouch." Sonic got up slowly, his entire body sore. He saw Metal Sonic gaining distance and frowned. "He's getting away!" Then he heard running footsteps behind him as his friends approached.

"Never fear, Amy Rose is here!" Sonic heard the pink hedgehog yelling behind him. He turned around just in time to see her pull out her Piko-Piko Hammer, swing it behind her, and...

"Amy! Wait!" Sonic exclaimed.

WHACK!

"Go get 'em, Sonic!" Amy shouted.

"AAAAGGGHHH!" Sonic flew into the air, the powerful hammer sending him flying forward.

"That's gonna hurt in the morning," Knuckles remarked.

Sonic landed on his feet running, clutching at his rear end where the hammer had hit. "Argh! That Amy!" He realized he was pretty close to Metal Sonic again. "Though I've gotta hand it to her, it worked..."

Metal Sonic fired more energy beams at Sonic. The hedgehog dodged them all and picked up speed.

Tails was watching everything with fear in his eyes.

Sonic leapt into the air and curled up into a ball. His sharp spines rotating, the hedgehog resembled a buzzsaw. He landed on Metal Sonic's head with a clank, causing the robot to lose its grip of Tails.

The fox gasped and fell to the ground, rolling slowly until he came to a stop. He stayed curled up, afraid to even move.

Sonic chased Metal Sonic, who now had a large dent in its head. The robot fired at Sonic again, trying to lose him. Sonic avoided the shots, until one hit the ground ahead of him and blew a sizeable hole into it. Sonic skidded to a halt, teetering on the edge of the gap. Looking down, he could see the cityscape below him, and it was a long way down.

Gaining his balance, Sonic stepped back from the pit and looked up to see Metal Sonic disappearing into the distance.

The metallic clone's voice echoed, "WE WILL MEET AGAIN, INFERIOR HEDGEHOG."

"Drat..." Sonic stomped the ground with his foot, his quills straightening up angrily. Remembering Tails, he turned around and ran back to him.

The fox was still curled up. Sonic approached the trembling ball of fur.

"Tails... it's okay, little bro. You can come out now."

Tails uncurled slowly, bringing himself to his feet. "Thanks, Sonic..."

"Don't mention it. Where are the others?"

As if on cue, the other three caught up with Sonic and Tails, panting.

"Tails! You're alright!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"Thanks to Sonic," the two-tailed fox replied.

"I knew you could do it, Sonic!" Amy rushed over and gave the blue hedgehog a crushing embrace, giggling like a schoolgirl. Sonic sighed and looked away, irritated.

"I take it Metal Sonic got away?" Mighty asked, noticing that Sonic and Tails didn't look too happy.

"Yeah... that annoying heap of metal! I'm gonna trash him next time I run into him!" Sonic's quills stood up again in annoyance, causing Amy to leap away in pain.

"Just be thankful you saved Tails," Knuckles said. "There'll be a time to be hotheaded later."

"Are you calling me 'hotheaded'?" Sonic gave the echidna a dirty look.

Knuckles grinned mockingly. "If the shoe fits..."

"I'll show you where my shoe is gonna fit in a second!" Sonic fumed, stepping closer to Knuckles.

"Do they always bicker like this?" Amy asked quizzically.

"Not always. Sometimes they fight with fists," Tails said, an exhausted smile on his face.

* * *

"Where do we go from here?" Amy asked. The group had left Gigalopolis and were currently standing in an open field in Turquoise Hill.

"Westside Island," Knuckles replied. "I'm sure Robotnik has already abandoned his base thanks to the destruction you caused."

"That means we have to find him," Tails said.

"Piece of cake. That egghead sticks out like a sore thumb anywhere!" Sonic grinned.

"But how will we get there?" Mighty enquired.

"We'll take the Tornado," Tails answered.

"How? It's not even here, is it?" Sonic scratched his head.

"No, it's on the other side of the island, where I started looking for you guys," Tails said. "But that just gives me a chance to test my new invention."

"New invention?" Amy repeated.

"Just watch." Tails produced a small black object, which looked like a remote control with a screen on it. The child prodigy pressed a few buttons, and then started manipulating a lever.

The group waited to see what was going to happen.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of propellers.

"Is that-" Sonic began.

The Tornado appeared in the distance, flying all on its own. It approached them before landing, somewhat clumsily, on the ground nearby.

"Tails!" Knuckles exclaimed. "Did you really just control the Tornado via remote control!?"

"Yep!" Tails beamed with pride.

"That's amazing!" Sonic slapped Tails' back, nearly causing the fox to drop the remote. "Er, sorry."

"But how did you manoeuvre it when you couldn't see where it was going?" Mighty asked, baffled.

"Easy! I have a screen on this remote, which is connected to a basic video camera built into the front of the plane. I can look at the screen, and see through it as if I am actually piloting the Tornado."

"Tails," Amy said, "you're a genius!"

The small fox blushed due to all the admiration. "It was really nothing," he lied.

"As much as he deserves it, we can't stand around praising Tails all day. We gotta get to Westside Island and find Robotnik!" Sonic ran to the plane, leaping onto the wings, where he usually stood during his flights with Tails.

"Wait... how are all of us going to fit in there?" Knuckles asked.

Tails frowned. "I'm not used to having more than one passenger in the Tornado... I didn't plan for this."

"I could tunnel underground, and Mighty and Amy could come with me," the echidna suggested.

"That will take too long," Amy said, frowning.

Knuckles gazed up at Sonic, perched on the wings of the plane. He pondered for a moment. "If Sonic can do it, I can too." He leapt up to join the blue blur.

"I'll do the same," Mighty said, following their lead.

"That's fine for you guys, but I am not going to stand on the wings of a moving plane! That's terrifying!" Amy crossed her arms. "Not to mention, Tails would be able to see up my skirt."

Sonic rolled his eyes in annoyance, tapping his foot impatiently. "Why would he even want to look?"

"Sonic!" Amy scowled. "Don't you have any respect?"

Sonic merely sighed. He was tired of the delay, and wanted to get to Westside Island already.

"Don't worry, Amy. There's one passenger seat behind mine, so you can sit in the back." Tails walked over to the plane, beckoning her. They both got in.

Tails started the engine, and within moments the gang were up in the air, the clouds their equals.

"I've never been in a plane before. This is exciting!" Amy was on the edge of her seat.

"I can teach you how to fly it sometime, if you'd like," Tails offered. "It's very simple."

"Really? I'd love that!"

"Are you sure about that, Tails?" Sonic shouted down from the wings. "It's pretty complicated stuff. Do you think Amy can handle it?"

"Sonic, this is your plane! If even you can figure out how to work it, I'm sure Amy won't have any trouble." Knuckles grinned smugly.

"Why you-"

"Guys, cut it out! Do you want to fall off?" Tails said, slightly irritated.

"He's right." Knuckles said nothing more.

"Hmmph." Sonic crossed his arms.

"How much farther is Westside Island?" Mighty yelled down to Tails.

"Only a few more miles!" Tails replied.

"Hah, that's funny. You said 'miles'." Sonic said.

"What's so funny about that?" Mighty asked.

"Sonic, don't say another word!" Tails pleaded.

Sonic kept his mouth shut, and the rest of the group were left to wonder what the pair were talking about. Sonic and Tails were the only ones who knew, but Tails' real name was Miles Prower. "Tails" was simply a nickname, but it had become the fox's given name, as the child genius hated his real one. Sonic never understood what the fuss was about, but his friend hated being called Miles, so he kept it a secret between the two of them.

They finally made it to their destination, Emerald Hill Zone. As they flew over it, they noticed a boat that had crashed into the mainland. "What the..." Sonic said quizzically.

Tails landed the Tornado with ease in its usual spot and the group disembarked. They went to check out the vessel.

"What is this doing here?" Amy wondered.

"That boat... I've seen it before, somewhere," Knuckles said, scratching his head.

"Me too," Mighty nodded.

"Who would drive a boat into the shore? Don't they know how to throw down an anchor?" Tails asked.

"Wait!" Mighty exclaimed. "I know where I've seen it! This is one of the boats from Marina Madness Zone, on Carnival Island!"

"How did it get all the way here?" Sonic enquired.

"Someone rode it here, obviously," scoffed Knuckles.

"I know that, you knucklehead!" The blue hedgehog's eyes narrowed angrily.

"We really don't have time to be arguing about a boat, guys. Let's just leave it and get back to our main objective," Tails said, stepping between the two.

"Right... Where to now?" Knuckles asked.

"I guess we'll just have to search every inch of the place until we find some sign of Robotnik," replied Sonic.

"Sounds tedius," Amy pouted.

"You're welcome to go away if you don't like it," Sonic challenged.

"And let you out of my sight? Never!" Amy crossed her arms.

Sonic rolled his eyes, unable to understand the girl's obsession with him, even when he outright insulted her. He did feel guilty for the insults, but sometimes Amy got on his nerves so much that he couldn't control himself. The blue hedgehog sighed, reluctantly accepting the fact that Amy was here to stay, at least for the time being.

"Enough standing around! Let's get going!" Knuckles was practicing his fistfighting idly, punching the air in front of him in boredom.

"Music to my ears!" Sonic smirked, glad not to be the only impatient one on the team.


	14. Crocodile in distress!

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

**Crocodile in distress!**

* * *

"Well, well, well! Hello there, crocodile! What a pleasant surprise! I've been wanting a new leather belt..." Dr. Robotnik laughed menacingly, looking up from the platform on which he stood.

Vector wanted to reply, but could only let out muffled sounds, as his snout was tied shut with rope. The rest of his body was tied up as well, and suspended by a rope, attached to a crane above him. The crocodile was dangling precariously over the shifting and churning ocean of oil beneath him. Casting a worried glance downward, Vector couldn't help but let out a small whimper.

"I've thrown many animals in there, and believe me, not one has come out. And they weren't tied up, either!" Robotnik smiled, an unpleasant sight. "Normally, I would roboticize you, but the machine is quite far away and I simply haven't the time! The only reason I'm here is because, quite simply, I needed some more oil for my machinery. I'm actually on my way to a new destination, since that blasted little girl destroyed my beautiful Scrambled Egg Zone!"

Vector gulped, ignoring the doctor's rant. Was this really how it was going to end? Drowning in a sea of pitch-black oil? The crocodile struggled against the ropes uselessly, only causing him to swing back and forth, which made him panic even more.

Three EggRobo badniks were there. Two were doing small tasks for Dr. Robotnik, while the other was near Vector, pointing its gun-arm at him in case of an unlikely escape.

"I would love to stay and chat with you more, Vector, but I'm afraid I have pressing matters to attend elsewhere, such as crushing that wretched hedgehog!" The doctor scowled as he spoke the words, pressing a button connected to the crane machinery.

"He must be referring to Sonic," Vector realized. "I guess this fight isn't just between Robotnik and the three of us."

The crocodile's thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly felt the crane above him twitch and come to life. It began lowering slowly.

"Uh-oh," Vector thought, panicking.

The crocodilian cringed, preparing for the inevitable.

"Stop right there, Dr. Robotnik!"

The crocodile's eyes widened. That voice... was it really Espio?

It was! Vector saw the purple chameleon, followed by Charmy, running toward the doctor, attacking him with a spinning jump kick. Robotnik stumbled and fell on his rear, cursing and shaking his fist. Vector felt relieved that his friends were there, but the crane was still lowering, so he wasn't out of the woods yet.

"We'll untie you, Vector, just let us kick this guy's butt first!" Charmy Bee shouted.

Vector tried to shout "Hurry!", but it only came out as a muffled grunt.

"Not so fast," Robotnik said, getting up.

His EggRobo assistants came from all sides. Espio jumped up into the air, dragging Charmy out of the way as the robots shot at them. Robotnik used the diversion to leap into his Egg Mobile hurriedly.

Vector watched his friends battle the robots, grunting as he saw Robotnik getting away. He saw that Charmy noticed, but with the badniks occupying them, there wasn't much the bee and chameleon could do. Vector watched his friends rise higher and higher in his field of vision as the crane lowered steadily.

"Please, hurry!" he thought frantically.

The EggRobos were firing haphazardly at his friends, who dodged every shot. A beam fired at Vector. He barely managed to swing out of the way. Another fired toward him, and seared straight through the dangling part of the rope, sending him plummeting downward. He landed in the gooey oil with a splat.

The murky oil bubbled around him as his large frame sunk down into the sticky mass. "This is it. I'm a goner..." he thought. A knot in his stomach intensified and he let out muffled noises, hoping Espio and Charmy would find a way to help him before he went under.

Espio saw him land in the oil and gasped. He managed to quickly finish off the badniks with Charmy's help.

Espio ran to the control terminal of the crane, hastily scanning the buttons. Pressing keys furiously, he made the crane lower itself.

"Vector!" he called. "Try to hook your rope bindings onto the crane!"

The crocodilian shifted and struggled in the thick oil, attempting to get the crane's hook to latch onto the rope. No such luck. He made a muffled groan as the black mass sucked him down deeper, only his shoulders and head above the surface now.

"Wait a minute... I think I have an idea!" Espio shouted.

Espio dashed to the edge of the walkway and leaped forward. Grabbing the chain portion of the crane, his inertia caused it to swing forward and then back. The hook whacked Vector in the face, and then hit him on the back of his head. The crocodilian yelped as well as he could with his maw tied. Then his head went under, the crocodile whimpering one last time.

"Ack! I'm sorry Vector!" Espio slid down the chain until his foot found a place on the hook. With one hand on the chain, he reached down with the other, searching around through the oil, and grabbed at the submerged reptile by the rope tied around him, dirtying his arm in the process.

"Here goes nothing..."

The chameleon pulled up as hard as he could, panting audibly from the effort. Vector wasn't exactly heavyset, but he wasn't a butterfly either. Espio slowly extracted the submerged crocodile, who gasped desperately for air (as well as he could, with his muzzle tied) when his head breached the surface.

"Do you think... you could cut down... on the pizza?" Espio grunted.

Vector made a face as if to say, "I'm going to eat YOU when I get out of this mess."

"Charmy, can you bring the crane back up?" Espio yelled up to the bee.

"Sure thing!" Charmy fiddled with the buttons. The crane started to dip downward.

"UP! NOT DOWN!" Espio cried.

"Oopsie!" Charmy pressed another button, and much to the reptiles' relief, the crane began to rise slowly.

"Now, when it gets up, move it over the platform!" Espio instructed.

Charmy did as the chameleon told him. As the crane moved over solid ground, Espio's grip faltered and he dropped Vector down onto the walkway, on his back, knocking the wind out of him. The crocodilian was dripping oil, black from head to toe, a puddle of the ooze pooling around him.

"Are you okay?" Espio jumped down from the crane and stood over his friend, untying Vector's snout.

Between gasps, the crocodile managed, "I hate... you guys."

* * *

**Poor Vector... at least he's safe :p**


	15. Aerial antics

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

**Aerial antics**

* * *

As the group were nearing the outskirts of Emerald Hill, they finally caught sight of Robotnik's new location.

"Look! Up in the air!" Mighty pointed.

They gazed up to see a gigantic, flying fortress cruising through the overcast sky.

"It's huge!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"And hideous," Amy added.

"The bigger and uglier they are, the harder they fall!" Sonic smiled confidently, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Wonder if he'll crack when he hits the ground!"

"Let's get back to the Tornado, and pay him a surprise visit!" Tails mirrored Sonic's enthusiasm.

The team ran back to the bi-plane.

"Amy, you should stay here. It's gonna be pretty dangerous up there," Sonic said. Mental images of her falling off the winged fortress were causing him to worry.

"That's just like you, Sonic! What makes you think I can't take care of myself? I'm just as important to this group as anyone else!" Amy frowned angrily.

Sonic wanted to say something sarcastic, but he stopped himself. "I've been a bit mean to her lately," he thought, feeling guilty. "I've gotta admit, she HAS shown herself to be a worthy member of the team. And as annoying as she can be sometimes... as long as I'm working with her, I should at least try to be pleasant. And she is a pretty good friend, albeit a clingy one."

All he said was, "Sorry, Amy. You're right." It hurt his pride to say the words, but at least he didn't feel like a jerk.

The pink hedgehog looked taken aback, obviously having expected a snarky comment instead of approval. "Th-thanks, Sonic."

Knuckles and Mighty exchanged confused glances.

The team took their positions in and on the plane. The Tornado's engine came to life, propellers spinning rapidly. It lifted in the air, under Tails' control. The fox leaned forward in his chair and spoke.

"Time for a sky chase!"

The Tornado rose through the grey sky as it approached the flying fortress. They could see badniks - and a large amount, at that - coming toward them. The clouds in the sky darkened, light drizzle beginning to fall down upon the five friends.

"This is going to be tricky! Everyone, hold on tight!" Tails shouted.

Amy checked that her safety belt was fastened, and grabbed the back of Tails' seat. Sonic, Knuckles and Mighty knelt down, clutching on to the front edge of the wing they stood on.

Tails manoeuvred the Tornado through the flying robots, skillfully dodging enemy fire. The plane twisted and turned, the trio in front hanging on to the wings for dear life.

Round, propeller-powered badniks called "Nebulas" tried to drop spiked balls on the group.

Balkiry, robots that were a bizarre cross between eagles and fighter jets, rushed at them, whizzing by.

Turtle-shaped badniks (aptly named "Turtloids") fired pellets of energy at the plane, occasionally managing to make a small dent when Tails could not escape their aim.

Finally getting past the rush of enemies, the bi-plane straightened out, Sonic, Mighty and Knuckles standing back up.

"We're almost there!" Tails exclaimed.

They could make out words painted on the side of the battleship: "Wing Fortress Mark II". Heavy rain was now pouring from the thickening clouds that were close above.

The Wing Fortress began firing large laser beams at the plane as it approached. Tails did his best to avoid them.

But despite the fox's best efforts, the Tornado was hit.

The bi-plane shook as it started to descend, ever so close to the flying battleship. Everyone on the wings stumbled, but luckily no one fell off.

"I'm getting a serious case of déjà vu here!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Drat! We were so close! Now Robotnik is gonna get away!" Knuckles shouted.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Tails replied. "The three of you, get ready to jump!"

"But Tails! What about us?" Amy said, a worried look on her face.

"If anyone knows how to crash-land a plane, it's me! I promise, you'll be safe!" Tails said, giving her a thumbs up. "Sonic, Knuckles, Mighty... just keep going, and we'll meet up with you guys later!"

"Are you sure?" Mighty said.

"Yes!" Tails smiled with confidence. "Good luck, guys!"

"Be careful!" Amy shouted.

The five friends exchanged looks, and nodded.

"All right!" Sonic said with a grin. "Mighty, Knuckles... on the count of three, jump!"

The armadillo and echidna nodded, bracing themselves.

"1..." Sonic said, balling his fists.

The Tornado's engine sputtered. The propeller in the front of the plane was going crazy, spinning at insane speeds and suddenly changing from clockwise to counter-clockwise motions.

"2..."

Getting closer to the Wing Fortress, Sonic carefully judged the distance between them and the flying base.

"3..."

They were as close as they would ever be. Shots were firing around them, and they had to act now.

"JUMP!"

Sonic leaped into the air, landing gracefully upon the Wing Fortress Mark II. Mighty landed next to him. Knuckles descended slowly, using his gliding ability to cover the distance between the Tornado and the fortress easily.

Sonic turned around and gave a thumbs up. "Catch you on the flip side, Tails! And take care, Amy!"

Tails waved as the Tornado quickly lost altitude, soon falling out of sight.

"I hope they'll be okay," Knuckles said.

Sonic put one hand on his hip. "Don't worry! I've been in enough plane accidents with Tails to know - he and Amy will be fine!" the hedgehog said, wagging his finger.

"For now, let's just worry about Robotnik!" Mighty said.

And with that, the three friends began their attack on the Wing Fortress.

* * *

**Sky Chase segments are really difficult to write o_O**


	16. No time to relax

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

**No time to relax**

* * *

The Chaotix departed from Oil Ocean Zone, tired and wanting to find a safe place to rest.

So they walked.

And walked.

And walked some more.

Finally, they found a relatively safe-looking area. It was a vast ruin overgrown with grass and dotted with lakes and ponds.

"We passed through here on our way to find you, Vector," Espio said. "It's not very dangerous here, and as a bonus, we can wash ourselves off."

Vector nodded, still a bit grumpy about his near-death experience. The crocodile was black from head to toe and just wanted to bathe and take a nap.

Suddenly the trio heard a noise in the sky. They looked up and saw what appeared to be a plane descending awkwardly. Smoke was billowing from its side, and upon closer inspection it appeared to have taken considerable damage. They watched as it landed with a bang and bounced along the grass momentarily, before it came to a stop. The Chaotix noticed two passengers in the plane, which had "SONIC" painted on its sides in white letters.

The three friends approached the plane. They watched its pilot, a yellow fox with two tails, disembark, and then help a pink, female hedgehog hop out of the back. The two passengers noticed the Chaotix as they stepped closer.

"Friends, or foes?" Espio asked. Still a bit on edge after the recent incident with Robotnik, the chameleon figured he couldn't be too careful.

"Friends, I hope," the fox replied. "Who are you?"

"We're the Chaotix!" Vector said. He and Charmy struck a silly pose, while Espio merely crossed his arms.

"Um, okay, but what are your names?" The hedgehog replied, looking a bit confused.

"I'm Charmy!" The bee spun around in the air.

"Name's Vector," the crocodile grinned.

"And I'm Espio," finished the chameleon, smiling politely.

"I'm Tails, and this is Amy. Nice to meet you." Tails was about to extend a hand to shake, but seeing Vector looking so dirty made him quickly change his mind. He simply waved awkwardly.

"Looks like quite a bit of damage," Espio said, analyzing the plane.

"We were just shot down, while in pursuit of Robotnik!" Amy said.

The Chaotix exchanged glances.

"We were attacked by him too! He tried to dunk Vector in that big ocean of oil!" Charmy frowned.

"Do you have a history with Dr. Robotnik, too?" Tails enquired.

"No, not really. We've only crossed paths with him once before," Espio replied. "'Too'? I take it you've had more than one run-in with the doctor?"

"You don't know the half of it," Tails said, smiling ruefully.

"He never gives up," Amy added, frowning. "My darling Sonic is up in the sky right now, fighting him!"

"Sonic the Hedgehog!?" Vector looked surprised. "You guys know him?"

"I thought that was obvious when they came down in a plane marked 'SONIC'," Espio remarked.

"Esp, I'm in no mood for teasin' right now," Vector warned.

"Sorry..." the chameleon looked away, smirking.

"To answer your question, yes. We know Sonic. I'm his sidekick, and Amy is his... uh..."

"Girlfriend," Amy finished for him. Tails sighed and went along with it, not being one to argue.

"Wow. I've always wanted to meet him," Vector said, awestruck.

"Me too," Charmy agreed.

"We all wanted to," Tails chuckled.

"Do you guys know where we are?" Charmy asked.

"We're in the Aquatic Ruin Zone," replied the fox.

"Speakin' of 'aquatic'," Vector began, "I really oughtta get washed off."

"Me too," Espio agreed.

"Yeah! You guys stink!" Charmy laughed.

"Let's meet back here in a bit," Espio said.

Tails nodded.

* * *

The quintet regrouped not much later and gathered in a circle to discuss their next move.

"So, what is the plan from here? Amy and I need to find a way to get back to Sonic, Mighty and Knuckles." Tails looked around at the others.

The Chaotix all gasped.

"Mighty... and Knuckles?" Vector repeated.

"They're our friends too!" Charmy said.

"Really? Small world," Amy remarked.

"OH! You guys must be the ones that Knuckles talked about before, whom he met on Carnival Island!" Tails blinked.

"That's right. Nice to know we haven't been forgotten," Espio replied. "How are Knuckles and Mighty?"

"Knuckles is doing well. Mighty seems fine, too... but he's so quiet that I have a hard time telling," Amy answered.

"I see." Espio nodded.

"As I was saying, Amy and I have to get back to them and help with the battle. They're currently up there on the Wing For-" Tails looked up and tilted his head. "Amy, look!"

The pink hedgehog raised her head. "The fortress is heading toward the floating island!"

"This is giving me a bad feeling..." Tails frowned. He turned to the Chaotix. "What do you guys plan to do?"

The Chaotix exchanged glances, pondering. Then they nodded.

"We'll go too," Espio said. "It would be nice to see our old friends again, and I can't let Robotnik get away with whatever he's doing."

"Yeah. I can't sit around knowin' Robotnik is up to something, either. Plus, I need to get him back for what he did to me." Vector gave a toothy grin, cracking his knuckles.

"I just wanna meet Sonic!" Charmy exclaimed.

They were interrupted suddenly by a voice. "'Ello there! Looks like I've found everyone BUT Sonic this time!"

Amy turned around. "Who are you?"

"Fang!" Tails balled his fists, an angry look on his face.

"That's me name, don't wear it out!" Fang grinned.

"What are you doing here?" asked the fox.

Pointing to the Chaotix, the weasel replied, "I noticed them suspicious lookin' fellers wanderin' the island, and figured they might lead me to an Emerald or two if I followed them." He then turned to Amy. "My, you're quite a fetching young lady. After I take your Chaos Emeralds, how's about a kiss?"

"I think I'm gonna throw up..." Amy scowled.

Fang narrowed his eyes in anger, rushing toward them. "Fine, play hard to get. It'll just make things that much more satisfying when-"

The weasel was interrupted by a whack to the face by Amy's hammer. He flew backward, shouting in pain.

"I've never met anyone who made such a bad first impression. Not even Robotnik!" Amy smiled smugly.

"Why, you..." Fang got up and quickly pulled out his popgun. "Hand over those Emeralds! I know yeh gotta have at least one!"

The group dodged Fang's shots with difficulty. The weasel could fire remarkably fast.

"Everyone, cover your ears!" Vector shouted.

"Why?" Tails asked.

"Just do it!" Vector took off his headphones, which Espio had returned earlier. Holding them in front of him with one hand, he fiddled with his walkman, turning up the volume to full. A deafening cacophony erupted from the headphones, causing Fang to drop to his knees, clutching his ears.

"Aaaugh! Turn it off!" Fang yelled.

Vector obliged, knowing their opponent was now pretty much incapacitated for the near future.

"You scaly, green nuisance! I'll get you back for this!"

"I'll be waiting patiently," Vector quipped.

"What!?"

The group laughed.

"He'll probably have a difficult time hearing for the next little while," Espio pointed out, having seen Vector use that attack before.

Fang got up, grabbed his popgun and scurried off. "Just you wait, I'll get them Chaos Emeralds! And a date with you, Pinkie!"

"That'll be the day." Amy rolled her eyes.

* * *

"So... for the first order of business, I need to repair the Tornado somehow. Otherwise, we can't get to Angel Island..." Tails crossed his arms. "But, I'll need to collect some scrap metal if I am to do so."

"We can collect the metal for ya," Vector offered. "The three of us are regular robot-smashin' superstars!"

Tails grinned. "Really? That would save me a lot of work!"

Vector flashed his toothy grin and gave a thumbs up. "Just leave it to us!"

"Thank you!" Tails smiled gratefully.

* * *

"Amy, could you get out your hammer, please?" Tails gathered some of the scrap metal as the Chaotix left to get more.

The pink hedgehog did as she was asked. "Want me to flatten the metal into shape?"

"That's my plan! If you don't mind, that is."

"Of course I don't mind!" Amy got to work.

They worked on the Tornado for hours, taking short breaks to swim in the many lakes and cool off. Amy and the Chaotix marveled at Tails' mechanical abilities.

Everyone's mood was lifting, until they heard a loud rumbling noise.

"What is that?" Tails wondered.

Amy looked around, her ears perking up. "It sounds like it's coming from... the sky?"

Tails glanced up into the horizon, searching for the cause of the commotion. Finally, he found the source, and his eyes widened in shock. The Chaotix got back just in time to hear the fox's words.

"Angel Island... it's falling!"

* * *

**The descent of the floating continent can only mean one thing... uh-oh! Find out what happened up in the sky in the next chapter! Also, I changed the Fang portion a bit because his appearance seemed too sudden/forced... and updated chapter 12 to reflect it.**


End file.
